Rally against violence calls for residents to be 'part of the solution'

Saturday

May 18, 2013 at 11:12 AMMay 18, 2013 at 7:10 PM

Local pastor Derek Triplett is tired of big-city crimes making their way to Daytona Beach.

STAFF REPORT

DAYTONA BEACH — Local pastor Derek Triplett is tired of big-city crimes making their way to Daytona Beach. In an effort to take a stand against gang and gun violence, Triplett, in conjunction with the Daytona Beach Police Department, organized Saturday's March Against the Madness rally. The rally ran from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Derbyshire Park. During that time, locals could also turn in unwanted guns to Daytona Beach police in exchange for gift cards at the Hope Fellowship Church. Police Chief Mike Chitwood said 19 guns were collected Saturday. In a video posted to Facebook about the rally, Triplett said people aren't surprised, these days, if someone gets shot, robbed or beats their wife. "In our community, we've become desensitized to it," Triplett said. "We don't think anything of it anymore. We just say, 'Oh, that's terrible. We need to pray for them.' " He said sometimes more than prayer is needed. "We want to be a part of the solution," Triplett said. Daytona Beach police and other local law enforcement agencies have previously held other successful gun buy-back programs, such as Kicks 4 Guns, which has brought in more than 300 guns over the past two years.